Chair for infirm people



S. STEVENS.

CHAIR FOR INFIRM PEOPLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1920.

v 1 37%943 I Patented May 31, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

s. STEVENS. cum FOR mnmw PEOPLE..

I APPLICATION FILED SEPLZI, I920- 1,379,943. Patented MaySl, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET a oHAIRron. INFIRM To all whom it may concern; V

Be it known that l, SIDNE STEVENS, a citizenof the United States, residing at Millinocket, county of PenobscotyState of Maine, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Chairs for Infirm People, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a new and useful improvement in chairs for infirmpeople;

The object of the invention is to provide a chairhaving means for automatlcally assisting the sitter in rising from the chair,-

and for partially supporting him by gradually moving downward under his weight to its proper position for sitting when he changes from a standing to a sitting posture. I The invention consists in providing a vertically movable seat with means u'nder the control of the sitter which when he de- 7 sires to rise may be rendered, operative to move slowly upward and assist him in rising into 'a standing posture, "and which when he desires to sit will gradually yield under his weight to support hlm in a par tially sitting position while the seat is moving down to the-full sitting posltlon.

The invention will1be,fully' understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined 1n the claims at the close of this specification.

The invention is shown as applied to a I so-called Morris type of chair, although, it

. 7 tion as is to be understood as adapted for applicationin other types of chair.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa perspective view of a chair embodyingthe invention, theseat being shown in its downward posiwhen a person, is sitting in it. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing-the chair with the seat in its raised'position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional viewon line 3-3 of Fig.1. V Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through one of the legsin a line diagonally of the seat,;and showingalportion the movable seat-raising frame. I

F 1g; 5 1s a sectional -v1ew on llne 5-5 of Fig. 4 looking upward;

Specification of Iie tt'ers Patent; Application filed se tember21, 1e2o. Serial fit the posts, as

PEOPLE.

. ""li atented May 31; 192i. 1 7

V Fig. dis a view-in elevationv of the seat raising-frame. V L

igi. 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 ofFigl. j a

Fig. 8 is a'vertical section chair from front to back.

a Fig. 9 is avertical sectional view through the cylinder showing the lock for I retaining the seatin'its downward seat has been moved to its sitting position.

.fthrough l the position when. the

Fig. 10 is abottom plan view of. one'of.

the separable arms showing the ring members which engage with'the tubular legs.

Referring now to the is provided with four corners, each of which consists of'a hollow tube. These posts also are preferably tied together and braced by the fourhorizontal braces 2, so as to form a rigid framework. I

serve as legs and drawings, the chair posts 1, at, the four 'The'back '3 of a. chair is preferably atached tothe rear brace. 2 and to the two rear posts 1,f.1. ,The two'arms 4-, 4 are each detachably 'mountedon the upper ends of two of the'p'os'ts 1, 1. In orderito properly positionthe arms, each arm is provided with two positioning rings 5, 5 secured on r V itsfunder side of suitable size and spaced apart so as to'engage upper ends of the front and rear posts 1,1. They will'be held against displacement bythe weights suspended the sitter to scribed.

The seat comprises abase portion;6 which is preferably providedwith a cushion top or otherwise suitably cushioned in wellknown manner. the cushion are notched at the cornersto Secured to the base portion 6 of the seat at its four corners are fiat, vertical rods 8 which lie in vertical planes and project outward from thQ COIIlGIS of the seat base. 6'

at 45 to the sides of the base, as shown in Fig. 8. These flat in'grooved ways 9 formed in the posts 1. The four a vertical slide "rods .8

As shownin-Fig. 6 there are. provided top I v a are rigidly I tied together suitablebrace and tie rods.

with the tubular from'themfor aiding rise, as will be hereinafter de- 7, upholstered and provided. with springs Preferably the base 6 and shown: in the drawings.

rods 8 engageslidably I V andbottom horizontalv braces 10, llland diagonal trusses 12, 12. Any other suitable form of brace and tie may be employed,

however.

Secured to the under side of each arm a are two hangers 13 which respectively are cord being attached to the seat-raising frame, and the other end being attached to a weight 16. Preferably the point of attachment of each cord with the seat raising frame is at the lower end of one of the flat,

vertical slide rods 8. The posts 1 are each provided with a vertical slot 17 through which the cord passes from the slide rod 8 into the post for connection with the hanger. There is preferably provided a guide pulley 18 within the post at the base of the slot 17. The combined four weights 16 should be somewhat less than the combined weight of the seat frame and seat and the person who is to use the chair, so that when the sitter desires to rise from a fully seated position, he has to press upon the floor with his feet only'with sufficient energy to. raise part of his own weight, and

the weights 16 will furnish the rest of the power required to raise him with the seat and lift him to a standing position. The weights will normally retain the seat in ele vated position when the chair is not occupied. Preferably from the cord, and weights of different heft are provided so that a weight of the proper heft may be employed according to the weight of the user.

In order to aid in sitting down, a retarding means is'employed to retard the descent of the seat when the user begins to seat himself and'rests his weight on the seat. The retarding device which I prefer to employ is pneumatic, and as shown in the drawings is as follows: Secured to the posts 1. near their lower ends, is a base 19 in the center of which is mounted an air cylinder 20, closed at the bottom. The cylinder may be formed with a flange 35 at its lower end securedto the base 19 by screws 36. The cylinder is provided with a cover 21 which is preferably screwed to the top of the cylnected. The cap 24 is secured to the bottom inder.

through a hole in the cover 21, and 1S con-- A piston rod 22 passes loosely nected at its lower end with a piston 23 which fits loosely in the cylinder. The up per end of the piston rod22 is provided witha cap 2 1 with which :it is firmly conof the seat base 6 in any suitable-way, as for instance by screws.

1 in its elevated position,the'piston 23 will be at the upper end ofthe cylinder.

hen the user is about to sit in the chair he will bend his knees slightly to allow him-.

the weight is. detachable When the seat is self to take a partially sitting posture on the seat and let his weight come upon the seat which will gradually descend. His weight and that of the seat will overcome the heft 0f the four weights 16, but the descent will be retarded by the air cushion in the cylinder. The loose fit of the piston rod through the cover 21, and .the loose fit of the piston 23 within the cylinders, will allow a slow passage of the air from the cylinder past the piston and out through thecover, acting as a check to retard the descent of the seat. The weights 16 will of course rise.

l/Vhen the sitter rises, the weights will act to aid the ascent as already described, and the piston will be carried up with the seat, while the air enters the cylinder around the piston rod and piston. Preferably buffers 25 are provided on both the upper and under sides of the piston. When the user is fully seated, his own weight is sufficient to retain the seat in itslowermost position, if he allows his full weight to press down on theseat. If, however, he accidertally presses his feet rather forcibly on the floor, thereby taking off a part of his weight from the seat, the downward pressure of the weights 16, if free to, act, would tend to lift him even though he does not really wish to rise. In order to prevent this, l prefer to provide means to lock the seat in its downward position when the user is fully seated, and to provide means whereby the sitter can easily release the detent when he wishes to rise. It is preferable to have the locking operation accomplished automatically andto have the releasing performed at the will of the operator. The locking and releasing mechanism shown is as follows: A. latch member "26 is pivoted at 2'? to the under side of thepiston rod cap 2 1, and has a tooth 28 which is adapted to engage with a shoulder, as forinstancc the under edge of the rim of the cover 21 of the cylinder 20. The tooth has a cam face so that when the seat descends the cam face will engage the periphery of the cover in such manner as to turn the latch on its pivot enoughv toallow the tooth to ride down below the cover. The latch has an arm 29, andaspring 30 is provided between the arm 29 and the cap 24 to hold the latch undertension so that as soon as the tooth passes below thecover 21, the spring will cause the tooth to snap in under the rim of the cover and the latch will thus prevent theseat from rising until the latch is released. AleverBl is pivoted to the arm a or to some other part of the chair within easy reach of the sitter and this lever has suitable connection with the latch26 so that the sitter can trip the latchby' operating the lever. The connecting'means-shown in the drawings comprises'cords' 32 and 33, and

the intermediate pivoted corner tu'rnwlever 34. One end of. the cord 32 issecured to the I lever -31 and one end of the cord 33 is secured to the latch 26, the othe'r' ends of both cords being secured to the=cornerturn lever 34. It is'obvious that any other suit able operating means for trippingthe latch Y may be employed."

While I have shown and described a gravity device such as a weight, as the means for furnishing the force to raise the seat and thus aid the sitter in arising, it is obvious that there are equivalents which may be employed 5 for instance a spring in place of the weight. It is also obvious that the details of construction of the various parts may easily be varied and still be within the scope of the invention.

By the use of a chair embodying the invention an infirm person can sit down easily without having almost to fall into the chair as many aged or infirm persons sometimes do. He will not have to fall or lower him-- to conserve his strength both in sitting in and arising 7 from the chair.

The energy which he has imparted in the and act of sitting is all that is needed in helping-him to arise. In arising he can easily press with his feet uponfthe floor with an energy which would suffice to raise, say onefourth of his weight. The chair does the rest. The total of the four weightsin the posts will be somewhat less than the combined weight of the chair bottom and the sitter so that the seat will go down when the sitter rests his weight upon the seat in its elevated position.

What I claim is I 1. A chair having a seat which is movable in a straight vertical path, posts forming a part of the frame of the chair, weights having flexible connections with said seat, said flexible connections running over supports on said posts, whereby the downward pull of the weights tends to pull the seat upward and thereby to aid the sitter in rising.

2. A chair having hollow posts at the four corners thereof, a vertically movable seat, vertically movable weights within said hollow posts having flexible connection with said seat, said weights together being considerably heavier than the seat, and supports in the upper-part'of the posts over which the said flexible connections run, whereby the downward pull of the weights tends to pull the seat upward and thereby to aid the sitter in arising.

E 3. A chair having hollow posts at, corners thereof which form part of the chair frame,- a vertically; movable seat frameprovided with a seat, saidseat frame havingat its corners vertical flat rodspsaid posts being formed with grooves within which said rods are slidable, weights ywithinv said hollow posts, cords which are connected at one end with said weights, and at the-other end with said seat frame, and-supports within the upper ends of the posts over which the said I cords run, the said weights together being suflicient to counterbalance the weight of the seat frame and at least a part of the weight of the user of the chair, whereby the.

sitter in arising.

[downward pull of the weights will aid-the 4. A chair having hollow posts'at corners 7 thereof which form part of the chair frame, a vertically movable s'eat frame provided with aseat, said seat'frame having vertical flat rods at its corners, said postsybeing formed with grooves within which said rods are slidable, arms on each oftwo sides of the chair, each arm being removably mounted on two of the said posts, hangers attached to said arms and extending down into the hollow interiorof said posts, a pulley on each hanger, a cordrunning over f V said pulley, one end of said cord being at tached to the seat frame, and aweight attached to the other end, of said cord,lthe downward pull of the weights beingsuflicient to overbalance the weight of the seat h part of the weight of the user of the 0 air.

5. Achair having hollow posts, at the four corners thereof, a vertically movable seat, vertically. movable weights within said hollow posts having flexible connection with said seat, said weights together being con-- siderably heavier] than the ,seat, and supports injthe upper part of the posts over,

-which the said flexible connections run,

whereby the downward pull of the weights to aid the sitter in arising, means for automatically locking the seat in its downward pull of the weights, and means under the I control of the sitter to release the detent.

I 1 tends to pull the seat upward and thereby 6. A chair having hollow posts at thefour 7 corners thereof, a vertically movable seat,

vertically movable weights within said hollow posts having flexible connection with said seat, said weights together being considerably heavier than the seat, and supports in the upper part of the posts over which the said flexible connections run, whereby thedownward pull, of the weights tends to pull the seat upward and, thereby 'to aid the sitter in arising, a base member 'which formspartof the frame below, the vseat, a cylinder mounted on said base and 7 having a closedlower end and an apertured cover at its upper end, a piston having a loose fit in said cylinder and having a piston rod which passes loosely through the cover of the cylinder and is connected with the under side of the seat, said piston and cylinder forming a'pneumatic check to retard the descent of the seat from its elevated position when the user seats himself, a latching device which automatically locks the seat in its downward position when the seat 10 has descended, and means under the control of the sitter to release the latch so as to allow the elevating mechanism to become operative when he desires to arise.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 15

SIDNEY STEVENS. 

